Although a multitude of artificial floral arrangements fabricated from chenille are known to the art, the present invention is concerned with a novel concept of a simulated potted plant illuminated by colored electric lights, and an arrangement of a plurality of unique, simulated flowers having colored petals or leaves radiating from a central stamen defined by a cluster of the lights.
Each flower comprises part of a conventional string of miniature Christmas lights secured to a plurality of thin rigid stakes simulating stems for the flowers. A number of such lights, as for example 4, are arranged immediately above the upper end of each stake and symmetrically around its axis. The wiring for the lights extends downwardly therefrom along the associated stake and is bound closely thereto by an adhesive tape, thereby to conceal the wiring but leave the lights exposed at the top of the stake. A portion of the wiring, including at least one electric light, extends from one stake to the next adjacent stake. The stakes are suitably suppored by insertion of their lower ends into a foamed plastic body.
The petals and leaves of each flower are formed from one or more tufted wire chenilles, each sculptured to provide a succession of similar floral or flower parts extending longitudinally of the wire and spaced by minimum diameter nodes of the tufted chenille fibers. During formation of the flower, alternate nodes, referred to herein as inner nodes, are strung axially along a finger formable retaining wire and moved axially of the retaining wire toward each other, such that the paired flower parts joined by each inner node forms a U-shaped or V-shaped bight with the inner node at the base. As the inner nodes are moved axially toward each other, the remaining alternate nodes are moved radially outwardly of the retaining wire and are thus referred to as outer nodes.
The leaves or petals formed by each pair of floral parts joined by an outer node may be shaped to provide a rounded U-shape or an acute V-shape at the outer node. Also by virtue of the double thickness of the paired floral parts joined at each outer node, the paired parts may be formed to extend closely together to effect an elongated leaf, or may be spread apart to effect an ovid leaf. Also the term "leaf" herein means either a leaf or a petal, as the case might be, and the term "finger formable" herein refers to a soft copper, aluminum, or iron wire for example that may be readily bent by finger pressure and is sufficiently non-resilient to retain the shape to which it is bent.
A retaining wire extends within each bight adjacent to the inner nodes and is wrapped around a stake immediately below the light cluster, thereby to secure the inner nodes, closely to the stake at locations spaced around its circumference. The floral parts are then arranged generally symmetrically around the stake with the cuter nodes extending outwardly to simulate a flower. The fibers comprising the tufted wire are preferably colored to simulate the color of a flower or leaf, such as red for a poinsettia. A second chenille or tufted wire of a different color, for example green, is sculptured as above to effect a second set of simulated floral parts, such as green leaves, spaced by minimum diameter nodes and arranged along the retaining wire together with the first set of colored floral parts.
The retaining wire for the two sets of floral parts is then wrapped snugly around the bases of the lights secured to and extending above one of the stakes. The opposite ends of the retaining wire are twisted together to secure the simulted flower to the stake. The opposite ends of each chenille wire are also twisted together to complete an endless series of floral parts joined at their opposite ends by the inner and outer nodes. The foamed plastic support for the stakes is secured within a container and the upper portion of the container is lightly covered with Spanish Moss or a sparse shredded fiber to essentially conceal the support and wiring between successive stakes and to enable the lights between adjacent stakes to glow through the fiberous covering.